In the fall of 2023, a strange black comedy thriller called Saltburn was released to the public, marking the second feature film directed by Emerald Fennell. While the film did garner fairly positive reviews and modest box office success, the film had already been massively anticipated due to new rising stars Barry Keoghan and Jacob Elordi being in the lead roles. So with a fairly hyped up movie at float, it briefly became a hit for Amazon MGM and garnered a strange cult following on TikTok. But what exactly made this film such a talked about phenomenon on social media a few months ago?
The film follows socially awkward Oxford student Oliver Quick who arouses a popular, aristocratic student named Felix Catton. After Felix invites Oliver to spend the summer at his eccentric family's estate, the seemingly naive young man slowly begins to con his way into their lifestyle. Now as much as this film seems to have taken clear inspiration from arguably better received works like The Talented Mr. Ripley and Brideshead Revisited, I would rather analyze the film for what it does on its own rather than waste time on comparing it to works I have not yet seen. With that being said, the story of Oliver wooing his way into the life of a young man with a higher social class than himself is well established as a questionably unsettling tale of lies and corruption from a charismatic grifter. As much as the film critiques the rich and elite, it does so at the expense of presenting Felix and his family as people too caught up in their lies while still having genuine concern for one another. It's great to see a narrative like this tackled in the modern age, especially with how disturbing its subject matter is.
However, with all that said and done, perhaps the film thinks it's a bit more clever and profound than it actually appears to be. Because the film implies that Oliver is more in love with Felix as a concept relating to a status he dreams of rather than as a legitimate human being, the devastatingly immoral actions he performs on him and his family are quite gruesome and shocking in practice. Unfortunately, the depictions of these actions are presented in such a juvenile manner that Oliver feels more like a comical cartoony villain rather than legitimately intimidating. It doesn't help that the film's commentary on rich classism is never explored much beyond the Catton's eccentric lifestyle and delusions of grandeur, so it makes the conclusion a bit too obvious for its own good. Also, while some characters like Felix's distant cousin Farleigh and sister Venetia have good roles in opposing Oliver's actions, they aren't utilized enough to feel as impactful as they could have been. Maybe the cast could have benefited from more screen time, especially when what we're mainly seeing on screen is more silly than scary.
Admittedly, the filmmaking techniques employed in Saltburn do a nice job of bringing us into its lush extravagant environments and settings, complete with elite production design and phenomenal world building. The costumes also reflect the Cattons' day to day livelihoods quite well, if not just for showmanship. Unfortunately, as gorgeous as the production qualities are, there doesn't seem to be much to take away from them beyond it fitting the straightforward murder story that is set in stone, so what you're left with is a sadly hollow array of beauty and vigor not worth caring much for. It's not to say that the filmmakers didn't do their job at crafting such luscious environments so much as they seem to just do obvious ploys for Olier's actions like creeping stairwells, trippy mazes or even bathtubs pathetically enough. Even Anthony Willis' chilling score doesn't stick out much from other psychological thrillers of this caliber. So it should be safe to say that the crew behind the film made the most out of their resources, albeit not in a way that feels as fresh or engaging as they should be.
There has rarely been a film I've been as torn on with my feelings on as Saltburn, since its mere existence fascinates me more than it genuinely intrigues me. On one hand, the film's commentary and subject matter are far more superficial than it might say otherwise, but on the other hand, what it offers could still intrigue people from its mere presentation alone and for just how messed up it is, regardless of the quality. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to at least check out for curiosity's sake, although don't be surprised if you walk away having almost no idea how to feel about it afterwards.
The film follows socially awkward Oxford student Oliver Quick who arouses a popular, aristocratic student named Felix Catton. After Felix invites Oliver to spend the summer at his eccentric family's estate, the seemingly naive young man slowly begins to con his way into their lifestyle. Now as much as this film seems to have taken clear inspiration from arguably better received works like The Talented Mr. Ripley and Brideshead Revisited, I would rather analyze the film for what it does on its own rather than waste time on comparing it to works I have not yet seen. With that being said, the story of Oliver wooing his way into the life of a young man with a higher social class than himself is well established as a questionably unsettling tale of lies and corruption from a charismatic grifter. As much as the film critiques the rich and elite, it does so at the expense of presenting Felix and his family as people too caught up in their lies while still having genuine concern for one another. It's great to see a narrative like this tackled in the modern age, especially with how disturbing its subject matter is.
However, with all that said and done, perhaps the film thinks it's a bit more clever and profound than it actually appears to be. Because the film implies that Oliver is more in love with Felix as a concept relating to a status he dreams of rather than as a legitimate human being, the devastatingly immoral actions he performs on him and his family are quite gruesome and shocking in practice. Unfortunately, the depictions of these actions are presented in such a juvenile manner that Oliver feels more like a comical cartoony villain rather than legitimately intimidating. It doesn't help that the film's commentary on rich classism is never explored much beyond the Catton's eccentric lifestyle and delusions of grandeur, so it makes the conclusion a bit too obvious for its own good. Also, while some characters like Felix's distant cousin Farleigh and sister Venetia have good roles in opposing Oliver's actions, they aren't utilized enough to feel as impactful as they could have been. Maybe the cast could have benefited from more screen time, especially when what we're mainly seeing on screen is more silly than scary.
Admittedly, the filmmaking techniques employed in Saltburn do a nice job of bringing us into its lush extravagant environments and settings, complete with elite production design and phenomenal world building. The costumes also reflect the Cattons' day to day livelihoods quite well, if not just for showmanship. Unfortunately, as gorgeous as the production qualities are, there doesn't seem to be much to take away from them beyond it fitting the straightforward murder story that is set in stone, so what you're left with is a sadly hollow array of beauty and vigor not worth caring much for. It's not to say that the filmmakers didn't do their job at crafting such luscious environments so much as they seem to just do obvious ploys for Olier's actions like creeping stairwells, trippy mazes or even bathtubs pathetically enough. Even Anthony Willis' chilling score doesn't stick out much from other psychological thrillers of this caliber. So it should be safe to say that the crew behind the film made the most out of their resources, albeit not in a way that feels as fresh or engaging as they should be.
There has rarely been a film I've been as torn on with my feelings on as Saltburn, since its mere existence fascinates me more than it genuinely intrigues me. On one hand, the film's commentary and subject matter are far more superficial than it might say otherwise, but on the other hand, what it offers could still intrigue people from its mere presentation alone and for just how messed up it is, regardless of the quality. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to at least check out for curiosity's sake, although don't be surprised if you walk away having almost no idea how to feel about it afterwards.